Field
The present disclosure relates generally to additive manufacturing, and more particularly, to an additive manufacturing (AM) printer for vehicle manufacture.
Background
Three-dimensional (“3-D”) printed or additively manufactured structures have broad engineering applications across multiple industries, including automotive, aerospace, marine, etc. Modular construction, using nodes, or junctions is one example of construction techniques that can be used in vehicle design. This technique can result in advantages such as low tooling costs, design flexibility, and the ability to produce highly efficient structures. 3-D printed joints can be used for connection of standard structures and structural materials, such as tubes, carbon sheets, and honeycomb panels. Connection of multiple non-standard yet low cost high performance materials is also possible. For example, the joints may be printed according to the specification of geometric and physical requirements at each tube intersection point.
However, as 3-D printing designs increase in complexity, requirements or constraints (e.g., time, cost, manufacturing, etc) associated with producing 3-D printed structures also become increasingly complex. Existing topology optimization techniques may be inadequate for designing and manufacturing a 3-D printed structure based object (e.g., vehicles), taking into account complicated and sometimes conflicting design variables and objectives that differ from the conventional designs.